Minor League Update - Omaha Storm Chasers

Through the season’s first 18 games, the Storm Chasers are 9-9 and are in a three-way tie for second place in the PCL American Northern Division, trailing Oklahoma City (HOU).

The Chasers have played an astonishing 15 of 18 games at home to start the season, but will leave for an eight game road trip to New Orleans (MIA) and Iowa (CHC) following Tuesday’s morning game against Nashville (MIL).

Through eighteen games, Omaha ranks third with a .299 team batting average, but are middle of the road in the 16-team league with a .356 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage, including just 11 home runs (fourth worst in the PCL). The team does not rank any individuals among the league’s leaders in any major offensive categories.

The club is one of three teams with a sub-4.00 ERA, sitting third at 3.96. However, the Chasers rank third from the bottom with 119 strikeouts.

Individual Hitting

MiLB.com

Who’s Hot:

Outfielder Brett Eibner took a big step forward April 9 when he went 5-for-5, including two home runs and nine RBI. The 25-year old scored three times in the game as Omaha beat Memphis (STL) 20-3. Eibner added a four hit game and a three hit contest over the next week and now sits at .333/.395/.500 with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored on the season. He has excelled against right-handed pitching to the tune of .340/.435/.566 with all three of his homers, which is tied with Francisco Pena for the team lead in round-trippers.

Matt Fields has held the everyday first base duties for Omaha and has responded offensively. Fields hit safely in his first 14 games, and was hitting a white-hot .459/. 524/.622 on April 11. Despite being held hitless through his last three ballgames, the 28-year old is hitting .361/.437/.475 with one homer and 10 RBI in 67 plate appearances.

Paulo Orlando hit safely in 10 of his first 12 ballgames and sits at .328/.371/.345 in 17 games. The Brazilian outfielder has four multi-hit games in early April.

Infielder Johnny Giavotella spent nine days in the big leagues, but returned to Omaha on a hot streak. In his first four games back, Giavotella had seven hits and has compiled a line of .368/.429/.526 in ten Triple-A games.

Who’s Not: 

Prospect Christian Colon has five multi-hit games this season, but sits at just .230/.275/.338 in 18 games. He has one home run, nine RBI and has scored 13 runs, but only four walks, in 78 plate appearances.

Individual Pitching

Who’s Hot: 

Spencer Patton is 1-0 with three saves and a 1.04 ERA in five appearances this season. In 8.2 innings, the 26-year old right-hander has nine strikeouts and allowed four hits and four walks.

Fellow reliever Buddy Baumann has yet to allow a run in ten innings across five appearances. The lefty has surrendered nine hits, four walks and has hit one batter.

Columbian starter Sugar Ray Marimon is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts this season. He collected a win in his first appearance, five scoreless innings against Nashville on April 11.

Who’s Not:

John Lamb has allowed five home runs, which is the third most in the Pacific Coast League. The lefty is 0-4with a 5.31 ERA, has surrendered at least two runs in every start this season, and has allowed a .333 batting average across 20.1 innings. With runners on, Lamb hitters have posted a line of .368/.429/.632.

Lefty reliever Donnie Joseph has had two rough outings, in which he allowed a combined eight runs (five earned) across two innings. In 22 plate appearances, left-handed hitters are posting a staggering .357/.609/.357, which includes eight free passes. Not very good for someone that hopes to get lefties out in Kansas City this season.

Royals Roster Issue

This morning the Royals received about as good as news as they could have hoped for on the Omar Infante front. No fractures. No concussion. As a result, the Royals are going to attempt to avoid a DL stint for their shiny new $40 million second baseman.

Unfortunately, for the Royals there is no back up middle infielder on the roster. It now appears that the Royals are going to stick with the current roster for 2-3 days in the hopes of Infante being healthy enough to play by the weekend. What this means is that Danny Valencia will be manning second for at least today and tomorrow's contests.

Personally, I think this is a mistake. Even last night, we saw first hand how risky playing Valencia at second could be. When Valencia turned a potential double play into a throwing error, the Rays were given new life in the 9th inning. In fact, thanks to this play the Rays were able to get the tying run to the plate.

So what could the Royals do?

Well yesterday the Royals called up Donnie Joseph and Michael Mariott. The Royals also recently called up Aaron Brooks. Each of these three pitchers have options available. We also know that Louis Coleman is nearly ready to return to the team following a trip to the disabled list in spring training. Either way in a few days the Royals will need to option one of their relievers to AAA Omaha.

The Royals could speed up that process and option one of the relievers to Omaha now and bring up either Johnny Giavotella or Christian Colon. Another option could be Jason Donald, although he would need to be added to the 40 man roster. By bringing up one of these middle infielders now, the Royals could then have an actual second baseman for the next couple of games, instead of playing Valencia out of position.

If Infante is ready to return to the lineup by the weekend (something that I think is very unlikely), you simply send down the recently called up middle infielder and bring back Coleman off the disabled list, getting you back to a 12 man pitching staff. For the next two games, you'd have to have an 11 man staff, but every reliever should be available for tonight. If having an 11 man staff wasn't an issue a week ago then it shouldn't be now.

If Infante takes a week to return to the lineup, then that makes the call up of a middle infielder even more important. For a team on the borders of contention every game is of the utmost importance. They can't afford to be playing multiple games with players out of position. It is great that Valencia can fill in as an emergency second baseman in situations like last night, but there's no reason the Royals should enter a game with him as the only option.

There is a move that can be easily made and improve the team for tonight. There's no excuse for the Royals not to make it.

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams!

Omaha Storm Chasers 2014 Preview

*Omaha debut

Position Players:

LF - Brian Fletcher

CF - Brett Eibner*

RF - Paulo Orlando

3B - Jimmy Paredes*

SS - Christian Colon

2B - Johnny Giavotella

1B - Matt Fields*

C - Jesus Flores*

Rotation

Chris Dwyer

Danny Duffy

Justin Marks

Ryan Verdugo

John Lamb

Bench

C - Francisco Pena*, IF - Brian Bocock*, OF - Gorkys Hernandez, OF - Melky Mesa*

Bullpen

Buddy Baumann, Aaron Brooks*, Donnie Joseph, Michael Mariot, Clayton Mortensen, Spencer Patton*, Wilking Rodriguez*, Everett Teaford, Brett Tomko*, Ramon Troncoso*, Cory Wade*, P.J. Walters*

Notes:

• A variety of position players and pitchers will make their Omaha debuts this season (14 total), including OF Jimmy Paredes and former Royal Brett Tomko. 
• CF and former Arkansas Razorback Brett Eibner makes his Triple-A debut after spending the past year in NW Arkansas.  Posting career highs in BA, HR, and OPS in 113 games for the Naturals, Eibner started off 2013 on a cold spell (1-32 to begin the season), his future seemed to be on the path towards destruction, but he began to heat up.  At the end of May, he was hitting .208.  In June, he batted .245 with 4 HR, then July he hit .270 with 8 HR.  Come August, he cooled off again, but the fact that he bounced back from such a poor start shows that he worked hard to improve his approach at the plate.  Eibner will impress the crowd at Werner Park with a strong arm and solid range in center field.
• One of the more unfortunate stories of this spring involved a fan favorite: Danny Duffy.  The 25 year old lefty, trying to bounce back from Tommy John surgery in 2012, could not overcome his command issues during his time in the Big League camp.  In 11 innings, Duffy gave up 16 H, 14 ER, 6 HR, and 6 BB.  Both Duffy and Yordano Ventura were vying for the final spot in the Royals' rotation, but in the end, Duffy's struggles and Ventura's dominance made the decision too easy.  Rather than stick Duffy in the bullpen, he will remain as a starter for Omaha to get some innings while working on his control issues.
• Omaha will return a pair of infielders that helped lead them to a Triple-A Championship.  Both Johnny Giavotella and Christian Colon will man second base and shortstop, respectively, for the Storm Chasers.  The two, much like Duffy, were fighting for a spot on the big league roster when newly acquired 2B Omar Infante started having some soreness in his throwing elbow.  Throughout Spring Training, the front runner for a back-up middle infielder was Pedro Ciriaco, who already had Big League playing time with the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.  With Infante likely starting the '14 season on the disabled list, Ciriaco seems to have the spot locked down.
• Brett Tomko was an intriguing acquistion this spring.  Turning 41 in April, Tomko has 14 years of ML experience under his belt and last pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2011, only toeing the rubber in 8 games.  Tomko pitched for the Royals in 2008, appearing 16 games, 10 of those were starts.  He logged 60 innings, a 2-7 record with 6.97 ERA, 40 K's, 13 BB, and allowed 49 ER.  In mid-March, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported that Tomko was consistently hitting 91-93 mph on his fastball, while showcasing good command with his changeup and curveball.  A true journeyman of the game, Tomko just isn't ready to hang up the ol' cleats.

The Futures of Colon and Giavotella

On Tuesday, Fox Sports' Jeffrey Flanagan brought us this article on the futures of Johnny Giavotella and Christian Colon. Obviously, with the signing of Omar Infante, both players Royal future have become a bit hazy. It would seem that barring anything unforeseen neither may soon get the opportunity to Be Royal.

Giavotella has always been a personal favorite of mine. I saw him first hand in about 60 games a few years ago for the Naturals, when the team would win Team of the Year honors from Baseball America. He was a beast. His range was always limited, but all season long he shot lasers all over Arvest Ballpark and occasionally provided fans with highlight reel plays.

Unfortunately, even I have jumped off the former 2nd round pick's bandwagon. In three separate big league stints he has hit a collective .240/.278/.335 over 113 games. Sure, the argument can be made that he has never truly been given a shot, but I would counter that even in those stints he has completely failed to capitalize.

At this point, even when I squint I can't imagine a future with the Royals for Giavotella and I have a hard time imagining that he offers any value in the way of a trade. the Royals could either do Giavotella a favor and pawn him off for next to nothing or they could stash him in AAA as a reserve until he runs out of options. Giavotella's case isn't enhanced by his lack of versatility. If you can hit enough to be a second baseman, you aren't hitting enough to be a left fielder.

As for Colon, I still think there is some potential there. Unlike Giavotella, Colon can play both middle infield spots. I'm hopeful that the Royals even get him some time at third and maybe even left in 2014. If the Royals can do this Colon could develop into a top notch reserve type of player. I think it is time for the Royals to develop Colon for what his true ceiling is as opposed to the ceiling they thought they had when they drafted him.

I've been hesitant to join the Colon fan club, because quite frankly he has yet to show enough ability at the plate. I'm not going to start a riot because the Royals aren't giving a career .273 Minor League hitter a chance at the big league level. At the same time, I wouldn't be shocked at all to see him carry last season's momentum when he hit .319 over the final two months of the season into 2014.

Hopefully, Colon can return to Omaha in 2014 and mash. The Royals would then have a good problem on their hands. It would give the Royals that quality depth piece should Mike Moustakas, Infante, or Alcides Escobar fall to injury. Also, if Moustakas continues to collapse, Infante could slide to third with Colon taking second. If nothing else I expect to see the Royals former first round pick surface in Kansas City as a utility man by season's end. The Royals might try to get through a month or so without a back up middle infielder, but they won't make it through 162 games without one.

Follow me on Twitter @Landon_Adams!

What should the Royals do at Second Base?

After the expected non-tender of Chris Getz, the Royals look to move on to a new second baseman in 2014. As of right now, the Royals have Emilio Bonifacio, Johnny Giovatella, and Christian Colon as guys who you could argue as major league players who could conceivably man the position in 2014. The other option would be to find a new player in free agency or via trade. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing David Glass shelling out $240 million for Cano, which is err, surprising.

What would be the best avenue for the Royals to take? I don’t know, but let’s dig a little deeper on some of the options they have. Keep in mind I am considering Kansas City as a team that wants to be a World Series contender in 2014 within the limitations of their payroll. Given that they seem willing to give Carlos Beltran a 3yr/ 48 million dollar contract (which may or may not be true) I will at the very least assume they are willing to sign a mid-level free agent or two during this offseason.

1. Trust Emilio Bonifacio: I liked the move to acquire Bonifacio last season, as he has shown the ability to help major league teams due to his flexibility and speed. While there is little defensive value from Bonifacio at short or in center field, defensive metrics seem to like him at 2B, 3B or a corner outfield spot. His offense is not great, with his .279 wOBA last season, though he does switch hit. He is basically a no power speedster with below average on base skills. Fangraphs put him at 0.6 WAR in 420 at bats. For a playoff contender Bonifacio is a solid reserve and a bad starter, and I would guess that is how the Royals see him also.

2. Give Giavotella another chance: I am going ahead and discarding Giavotella as a realistic alternative. He was a fan favorite a few years ago as a no defense all hit second baseman, but he just simply hasn’t hit and there is no way to trust him as second division starter in the major leagues. He is a nice organization depth piece that can play in the case of an injury; but his clock is ticking to show something before he is not even a consideration to keep on a 40 man roster.

3. Roll the dice with Christian Colon: It seems to me that I like Colon more than most. The shine has worn off, as the former top prospect has yet to make a single at bat in the major leagues, and next year will be his age 25 season. That being said, he does look to have a skillset that would make him a viable bench bat in the major leagues in 2014. He can back-up at shortstop and second base with a decent enough glove and a decent hit tool. Last season he had a .325 wOBA in AAA which included 12 home runs and an impressive 9.9% K rate.

We know that the Royals do love them some low strikeout players and Colon seems to fill a hole in their 25 man roster as back up middle infielder. Like Bonifacio, though, his value is better served with limited at-bats, and the consistent rule applies that a playoff team can’t trust an average prospect with no major league experience to start for them in 2014. In my opinion, the Royals will be looking to add someone outside the organization to start at second in 2014.

4. Sign Omar Infante: Omar Infante was good last year. In fact, he’s been a valuable player for the last four years. He is a plus fielder and a plus at the plate, compiling 3.1 WAR in 2013 according to Fangraphs. The problem with Infante is price. The Yankees have been said to already have a contract offer on the table and it looks like he could demand a contract similar to the one Jhonny Peralta received earlier this offseason. This seems a little out of the Royals price range.

5. Trade for Brandon Phillips: Brandon Phillips generally gets called overrated by SABR folks but I think that his large RBI totals and mainstream media love makes people forget that Phillips is a very good player from an analytical standpoint also, even if he has declined each of the last two years. 2013 was the first year since 2006 that Phillips did not have a WAR over 3.0. Even banged up, he played in 151 games last year, and has hit 18 home runs for the past four seasons, all but guaranteeing we will see the same total in 2014. His offense has dropped significantly from his monster 2011 season, seeing his wOBA drop to .307 and an ever increasing K%.

Phillips has 4 years and 50 million dollars left on his contract. It would probably take some combination of outfielder/ prospect and relief arm to acquire Phillips, with the Reds conceivably eating somewhere between 10-20 million dollars of his contract. I was hypothesizing a Cain for Phillips swap or maybe a Dyson/ Crow for Phillips swap. This would give the Royals Phillips around the same price Infante will get this offseason, but with an extra fourth year on his contract.

The Reds seem to be wavering on whether or not they actually want to trade Phillips, but my guess is that they would have no problem seeing him go for the right price. While this certainly should be a consideration for the Royals, having to deal pieces for an arguably overpaid veteran on the decline could work out very poorly for them moving forward.

6. Sign Mark Ellis: This is one of my two favorite options for the Royals. Mark Ellis had his 5.75 million dollar option declined by the Dodgers, which seems pretty backwards to me since they were willing to shell out $10 million to Brian Wilson, but I guess Cuban defector Alex Guerrero makes Ellis as expendable. Ellis compiled 433 at bats last year and contributed 1.8 WAR. He has been an elite fielder his entire career and while this skill has declined over time, there is no reason to expect his won’t be the case moving forward.

Ellis isn’t a complete loss at the plate, either, as a guy who does a little but not much of everything. He had an OPS of just .674 and a wOBA of .300 last year. But that is not why you are signing Mark Ellis. I think the Royals could easily lure Ellis to KC given the playing time he could receive. I would have no problem giving him a multi-year deal worth 4-5 million per year to obtain him. That would be a huge upgrade over last year for a fraction of the cost it would take to get a slightly better player in Infante or Phillips. The Royals look to agree with me, as it looks like themselves along with the Dodgers and Rays have already expressed interest in the veteran according to Ken Rosenthal.

7. Trade for Nick Franklin: The Mariners are weird. Not only are they weird but they also just signed Robinson Cano to a reported 10 year, 240 million dollar contract, and now have a bit of a middle infield logjam with both Brad Miller and Nick Franklin already on the roster. After years of knowing that Franklin would have to move off of short, they finally did so once he reached the major league level in 2013, and he probably projects as an average at best second baseman defensively. He does have several years of control being that he didn’t get a call to the big leagues until midseason last year.

Franklin’s minor league track record and major league cup of tea suggest that he is going to have problems striking out at the big league level, but he has always shown a very good ability to draw a walk and has also shown a plus hit tool over his minor league career. Franklin did struggle at the major league level, so there is risk here, but there is reason to believe he will improve given what the scouts have said about him, along with the numbers he has put up.

Again, and I can’t stress this enough, the Mariners are weird. It is hard to say what they would want in return for a trade. It does seem like a position of weakness for the Mariners (the bullpen) is a position of strength for the Royals, who have already expressed some interest in moving a guy like Aaron Crow for the right return.

I think the Mariners are more likely to add Franklin as a piece of a bigger trade (David Price?), but if that doesn’t work out the Royals could make a good trade partner for the talented middle infielder. Of course, there are other options out there, but I think these are all realistic options as to what we could see the Royals front office doing.

The market on Mark Ellis seems relatively thin, so unless the Dodgers get scared of their newly acquired Cuban defector playing second every day and offer Ellis an overpay of a contract (which is realistic), I think the Royals could be a prime candidate to acquire him. He wouldn’t be as big of a splash as other free agent/ trade options, but he is a solid major league starter that would allow the Royals to put middle infielders they have in the bench roles they should probably be in.

Johnny G's Patience at the Plate

Despite hitting .306/.380/.441 throughout his career in Minor League Baseball, Johnny Giavotella has left much to be desired in his time with the Major League Club. Entering Monday night, over 395 professional plate appearances he has hit just .239/.271/.335. Quite simply that isn't going to get the job done, especially when it is coming from a below average fielder.

Giavotella's problems stem primarily from three issues: bad luck on balls in play, lower walk rate than he displayed in the minors, and a higher strikeout rate than he displayed in the minors. Just because I'm a nerd and love numbers, I wanted to take a look at what would happen if these problems were corrected.

First, let's remove Giavotella's bad luck from the equation. Using a simple expected babip calculator I found that the former second round pick's babip should be roughly .323, a much higher figure than the .283 that he has sat at thus far in his career. So if we assume the same distribution of extra base hits with the same paltry 2.9% HR/FB, Giavotella's line jumps to roughly .263/.293/.370. Obviously, this is a little better but definitely nothing to write home about.

Let's take this a step farther and adjust Giavotella's career walk rate to the same as he had in the minor leagues. This jumps his career walk total all the way from 15 at the 3.8% mark to 41 at the 10.3% mark he displayed while riding buses to road games. By getting back to the selectivity he showed in the minors, Giavotella's career line jumps all the way to .263/.359/.370. We're getting close now.

At this point an OPS of .739 out of second base would be a welcome change for the Royals. Let's see what happens if Giavotella could get his strikeout rate to the one he displayed at the minor league level. So far, Gio has struck out in 17.2% of his Major League plate appearances. If he were to get that mark down to his minor league level he would be striking out only 11% of the time. So when we adjust Gio's line in all three of these areas, he would be sitting on a .287/.365/.401 career line. An OPS that would rank him fourth on the team, behind (you guessed it you didn't guess it) Jarrod Dyson, George Kottaras, and Alex Gordon.

Obviously, one can't expect Giavotella to produce strikeout and walk rates equal to those he displayed in Omaha. However, if Giavotella can simply find an approach that comes close to those marks he should be alright. For 395 plate appearances he has shown the ability to make hard contact. (Hard enough to lead me to believe that his HR/FB% is pretty unlucky as well.)

Sure Giavotella has had three separate stints in the Major Leagues, but I don't believe he is the type of guy whose approach should totally fall apart. If Gio just had a few more of those hard hit balls fall, it might be enough to give him a bit of confidence and help him get back to the approach that led to the #FreeGio movement in the first place. Let's hope the Royals feel the same way and show the kind of patience that got Gio to the Major Leagues.

Follow me @Landon_Adams on Twitter!

Omaha Storm Chasers Preview

Projected Lineup

LF - David Lough

SS - Christian Colon

2B - Johnny Giavotella

DH - Max Ramirez

1B - Chad Tracy

3B - Irving Falu

RF - Paulo Orlando

C - Brett Hayes

CF - Willy Taveras

Rotation

Will Smith

Ryan Verdugo

Everett Teaford

Justin Marks

Chris Dwyer

Bench

C Adam Moore, UT Anthony Seratelli, 1B Xavier Nady, 3B Brandon Wood, OF Luis Durango

Bullpen

Michael Mariot, Nate Adcock, Donnie Joseph, Louis Coleman, Buddy Baumann, Anthony Ortega,

Brian Sanches, Blaine Boyer, Atahualpa Severino, Francisely Bueno

Some notes about this year's Storm Chasers:

• Plenty of guys on the roster that can easily see some time in Kansas City, whether it's due to injury or poor performance.  Some that will be kept a close watch will be Giavotella, Lough, Smith, Joseph, Coleman, Bueno.
• We should expect another great effort out of David Lough.  The 27 year old OF was blocked from making the Royals 25-man roster by OF Jarrod Dyson, who has plus-plus speed and is out of options.  I only see Lough making it to Kansas City via injury or September call-up.
• Johnny Giavotella lost the battle for the starting spot at 2B to Chris Getz just a couple weeks ago. He had a disappointing line of .267/.283/.400 in 21 games played, collecting 12 hits in 45 ABs, 1 HR on 11 RBI, 8 SO and 0 BB.  If history repeats itself, Gio shouldn't have a problem hitting in Omaha as he has .330 avg the past 2 seasons as a Storm Chaser.  He simply hasn't proven himself in Kansas City and time is wearing thin for him to keep him in the future plans.
• SP Will Smith had a solid spring going 1-0 in 11 IP, starting 2 games, striking out 10 batters with only 1 walk, and giving up just 7 hits.  For now, he'll get some innings in Omaha until an opportunity arises for him to head south to Kansas City. 
• Everett Teaford, Nate Adcock, Donnie Joseph, Louis Coleman, and Francisely Bueno could easily log innings in Kansas City.  Teaford and Adcock will be primarily used as spot starters if needed in a pinch.  Joseph, Coleman, and Bueno all had good springs and could be in the 'pen at some point.  Coleman will start off in Omaha only because he has options and J.C. Gutierrez, who won the final spot in the pen, is out of options.  Bueno will definitely be considered for a call up after compiling an impressive 1.56 ERA during his stint with the Royals last season.  Joseph, who had a 1-0 record with a 4.15 ERA in 11 games last year for Omaha, will spend a little time away from Kansas City as he was rather roughed up upon arriving to the Royals.  In 21 IP, he gave up 8 runs and had a meager 19/13 K to BB ratio.
• As the season progresses, the Storm Chasers could quite possibly add P Yordano Ventura and Jason Adam if they continue to flourish through the system, and a slight chance of having SS Orlando Calixte make an appearance.

Giavotella Optioned to Omaha

Just a little before 11 this morning, it was announced that the Royals optioned 2B candidate Johnny Giavotella to Omaha.  In 21 games during Spring Training, Giavotella hit a meager .267 with 1 HR and 11 RBI, collecting 12 hits in 45 at-bats, only 3 of which were XBH.

The other candidate, Chris Getz, pretty much sealed the deal at second base.  He is currently hitting .372 with 16 hits in 43 at bats, adding a HR and 6 RBI.  Comparing the two infielders, there is one difference that sets apart Getz from Gio: Getz has 4 BB and only 5 SO during the Spring, while Gio hasn't taken a walk and has struck out 8 times.

Johnny simply hasn't had the best of luck behind him the past 2 seasons in Kansas City.  His average line is .242/.271/.340.  I'm still a Giavotella fan, I always have been.  It was fun watching him rise up the minor league ladder, but since coming up to the big show, he hasn't given us much to cheer for.  He could very well be the "Kila Ka'aihue" of second base, meaning he's definitely proved himself in Omaha, hitting .338 in 2011 and hitting .323 last season, but those numbers significantly took a plunge upon arrival in Kansas City.  I think it's only fair right now to say he's a Quadruple-A player because..that's all he has proven to be.

I haven't given up hope yet.  He's still 25.  Hey, Alex Gordon was sent down to Omaha to figure it out and look what happened.  But how many times will it take Johnny?  Hopefully it's in the near future, otherwise he's going to be out of the mix sooner than he thinks.

Dan's Opening Day Roster

Every year since high school, we would gather 'round in journalism class and decipher who should play where, who will be in the rotation and bullpen, and then get our Opening Day previews ready for our newspaper 'The Ragout.'  Granted, the reception for the Royals preview wasn't always a huge hit because it didn't involve the Cardinals, which made us enjoy it even more, but I digress.  Obviously, this season has a whole new feeling to it.

Ever since the massive trade that sent Wil Myers to Tampa in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis, we've been transformed into a "we're going for it" baseball team.  This is what makes baseball so great.  Clearly, the kind of spring we're having right now doesn't really mean anything, although it's very nice to see some wins.  Spring Training is more than just shaking the cob webs off, it's about figuring out your new, adjusted roster, it's about warming up for your upcoming season for players with job security, others it's about acquiring a job.

photo courtesy of royals.mlblogs.com

There are a few names that stick out as far as having a solid spring, others haven't been so lucky, and a few..well we just expected it.  Of course, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas should be at the top of the list as far as those having successful pre-seasons.  The other, without any argument, is David Lough.  Now 27, Lough has made a case for deserving a spot on the roster in Kansas City, and rightfully so.

His situation, unfortunately  is against him.  In front of Lough, the likely candidate for the 4th OF spot is Mr. Zoombiya himself, Jarrod Dyson, who of course is out of options.  Fortunately, Lough does have options.  Don't get me wrong, I've been a big fan of Lough.  He's given a great effort at every level and has produced quite nicely, but the cards have just been played against him for so long.  I think it's fair to say that he's well overdue for a longer stint in the bigs.

As for those not performing up to protocol, we all know who is at the top of that list: drum roll please.......Jeff Francoeur.  Last year's .235/.287/.378 line from Jeff was absolutely unacceptable.  All season, it was such an eye sore to see him in his locked up 5th spot in the lineup and day after day, just not produce like he did in 2011.  Frenchy, known for his positive clubhouse presence, took it personal.  This past off-season he started working out with Alex Gordon, which obviously has it's advantages, but even though he's lost weight and got into the gym constantly, the spring has been just another "Frenchy" performance.  With that said, he has made aggressive comebacks before and it will be interesting to see how his 2013 summer will kick off.

Let's get down to brass tacks.  This is my lineup that I wouldn't mind watching on April 1st, and hopefully it's no joke:

LINEUP

LF - Alex Gordon

SS - Alcides Escobar

1B - Eric Hosmer

DH - Billy Butler

C - Sal Perez

3B - Mike Moustakas

RF - Jeff Francoeur

CF - Lorenzo Cain

2B - Johnny Giavotella

BENCH

C - George Kottaras

OF - Jarrod Dyson

OF - David Lough

IF - Elliot Johnson

ROTATION

James Shields

Jeremy Guthrie

Ervin Santana

Wade Davis

Luis Mendoza

BULLPEN

RHP - Luke Hochevar

LHP - Bruce Chen

RHP - Aaron Crow 

RHP - Kelvin Herrera

LHP - Tim Collins

LHP - Donnie Joseph

RHP - Greg Holland

Time to be a little realistic.  First of all, Chris Getz will likely be the chosen one for second base.  In today's game against the Cubs, Giavotella committed a throwing error and went 1-3 giving him an avg. of .278, while Getz went 1-2 with an SB, making his avg. rise to .303.  In my opinion, I believe if Gia were hitting well, he would fit in nicely in the 2 spot.  

Next, I don't see any scenario, except mine, where Dyson and Lough ride the bench together, unless Yost decides to do a platooning situation.  In the real world, Dyson will be in Kansas City, and consequently, Lough will be heading north to Omaha.  To replace Lough on the bench, as much as I hate saying it, Miguel Tejada will likely be the guy.  Recently, Guillermo Moscoso was released from the team, clearing a spot on the 40-man, which has Tejada's name written all over it.  

As for pitchers, I believe Luis Mendoza earned a spot in the rotation after an acceptable September and October, going 1-1 in 6 starts, compiling a 2.48 era in 36.1 IP, striking out 27 and walking just 9.  Hell, we can say Mendoza was easily the best pitcher on our staff in 2012.  Now remember, we do have Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino to fit in the mix later in the season, which gives the Royals (and us) options for either injuries or failure to meet expectations.

Finally, the piece de resistance: the bullpen.  Louis Coleman most likely starts off in Omaha, only because he has options while Hoch and Chen do not.  At this point, I believe Donnie Joseph has made a strong case for joining the pen, as it gives the Royals the privilege of having a 3rd left-handed reliever, along with Chen and Tim Collins.  Battling for the final spot, J.C. Gutierrez is said to be in the running, but considering he's out of options and his lackluster spring, I don't see him getting into the 'pen.

Sports Illustrated gives the Royals a 'D'

On Thursday, Sports Illustrated issued their offseason grades for each club in the American League. As you will see if you click the link, the Royals ranked last in the American League with a 'D'. Here is what Sports Illustrated had to say about the Royals offseason:

"They made a nice move to pluck catcher George Kottaras off of waivers from the A's, but he's only a backup to Sal Perez. Infielder Elliot Johnson might have a use in the second base mess given his .251/.308/.411 career line away from Tropicana Field, but if that's the best they can do, they still haven't done enough in the grand scheme."

I haven't wrote much about the Royals claim of George Kottaras, but I do think that it was one of the very best moves the Royals made this offseason. Hopefully, the Royals realize this and don't award the back up catcher role to Brett Hayes.

As far as Elliot Johnson goes, in terms of players to be named later, I thought he was a very nice pick up by the Royals. His versatility is a welcome addition to any team's bench. Also, he is likely the most legitimate option in team camp, because of his ability to play short stop. Also, Elliot Johnson is a switch hitter, meaning he could offer the Royals a platoon advantage regardless of if Getz or Giavotella win the second base job.

This brings me to my next point. While I think Elliot Johnson is a great fit for the bench, I do not believe he should be given the starting job at the beginning of the season. I've been very firm in this, but I still believe that Giavotella should be given a legitimate shot to be the everyday guy. (I touched on Giavotella's struggles a lot more in this post.) Ultimately, he will once again have to win the job in camp.

Getting back to Sports Illustrated's rankings, here's how the rest of the American League Central stacked up:

• Cleveland Indians A-
• Detroit Tigers B+
• Minnesota Twins B-
• Chicago White Sox D+

The Royals really needed to knock out the offseason if they wanted to contend in 2013. They definitely made some aggressive moves, but now we can only wait and see how they will pay off. Let's hope Sports Illustrated's grades aren't a reflection of signs to come. 

Johnny Giavotella: Breakout Candidate

On Wednesday, Baseball Prospectus took the time to select nine players who they predicted to have breakout seasons in 2013. In the article, nine BP writers were given one selection a piece. Three of those authors selected Royals. I don't think it would come as a shock to anyone that two of those were Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez, but Johnny Giavotella's inclusion on the last was a bit surprising.

Giavotella was selected by BP writer Sam Miller. As evidence for why we can expect the former second round pick to break out, Miller pointed to Giavotella's robust .331/.391/.477 line and his steady walk and line drive rates. Last season in Omaha Giavotella posted a BB% of 11% (league average is 8.6%) and a LD% of 19.6% (league average is 18.3%). Unfortunately, Giavotella was only able to carry one of those over to his 36 game sample in the American League.

Photo courtesy of KCMB Kansas City News

Despite the dip in batting average between his Triple-A and Major League lines, Giavotella maintained a line drive percentage over 19% at each stop. What hurt Giavotella was his batting average on balls in play dropping from .338 in Omaha to .276. The Major League average babip was .296 in 2013, so when you factor in that Giavotella making more solid contact than the average Major Leaguer, it is reasonable to suspect that part of his poor performance was babip induced.

Of course, another big part of Giavotella's game is his ability to control the strike zone. Given that he is just 5'8", pitchers don't exactly have a large target to aim at. Thanks to Giavotella's strong wrists and quick swing, he has been able to take great control of the strike zone throughout his minor league career walking in 9.3% of his at bats. In the Majors, that number has been reduced to just 3.5%.

Another problem that Giavotella faced in his Major League time, was the spike in strikeouts. The University of New Orleans product struck out in just 10.4% of his at bats over 921 plate appearances at the Minor League level. However, over 314 Major League plate appearances, this number has ballooned to 17.5%. Due to the rise in strikeouts, Giavotella's above average line drive rate becomes less of a factor.

It is true that Giavotella's batting average isn't necessarily reflective of his peripheral contact rates. However, there are other issues contributing to his lack of success at the Major League level. This is evident even when one normalizes his babip to a point that reflects his line drive percentage. Considering this, one still arrives at a line somewhere around .250/.280/.315.

While it is good to see that Giavotella is still squaring up balls at the Major League level, he still needs to make a lot of progress in the pitch recognition department. It would have been nice if he was afforded this opportunity last summer, but ultimately he is yet again going to have to win his spot in Spring camp. Giavotella will always have a strong strike zone. The fact that he has proven the ability to turn on pitches and square up Major League pitching, leads me to have confidence that, if given the opportunity, his plate discipline will come around as well.

When talking about 2013, people list breakouts from Hosmer and Moustakas and the health of Cain and Perez as important factors in the likelihood of contention. A breakout from a guy like Johnny Giavotella could be a huge bonus for the organization. Let's hope Gio can make it happen.

The Yanking of Johnny G

The manner in which Johnny Giavotella has been handled is somewhat mind boggling. Giavotella, who has pounded Minor League pitching to .308/.380/.443 career line, has been unable to break into the lineup as an everyday player for Kansas City. 

What is bizarre is that Giavotella isn't a holdover from a previous regime. No, he was a second round draft pick of the current administration. Different scouting director? Yes, but same general manager. 

The closest Giavotella has had in terms of regular at bats came last season following his call up. In that Giavotella was unable to perform at a high enough level to earn his spot for 2013, and after a poor Spring, he would eventually lose out to Chris Getz. 

On May 9, Giavotella would return to Kansas City but over a 29 game period, would only record 69 at bats with 15 starts. On June 11, Giavotella would be shipped back to Omaha and after tearing up the Pacific Coast League he would resurface in Kansas City following Chris Getz's season ending injury. Finally, I thought, Giavotella would get to be the guy in Kansas City. However, it hasn't been that way.

Sure Giavotella has been playing pretty regularly since his call up in mid-August, but even now I feel like the Royals haven't given him a chance to really get going, so I decided to check the game logs. In the 40 games since his return, Giavotella has started in all but 9. Here is what caught my eye: in the 10 games that Giavotella has not played, seven of them have come after Giavotella recorded a hit in his last game played. Here is the breakdown:

August 24: Giavotella goes 1-for-4 with an RBI at Boston. The following day Giavotella was given his first day off since his return.

September 1: Giavotella goes 1-for-3 with an RBI against Minnesota. Giavotella would then sit out the next two games.

September 5: Giavotella goes 1-for-4 against the Rangers. The following game Giavotella would not play.

September 20: Giavotella goes 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI against the White Sox. Giavotella would then sit out back to back games.

September 28: Giavotella goes 1-for-4 at Cleveland. Tonight he is not in the lineup.

For an organization that prides itself (even though they've have nothing to show for it) on player development, they don't appear to be trying to put Giavotella in the best position to succeed. Giavotella is a guy that is going to either start at second, or not be in the Major Leagues. He doesn't fit as a utility player. The Royals should have used two and a half months to start Giavotella 90% time. 

Giavotella has always been a slow starter and taken a few months to adjust to a new level. Ideally, those months should have already occurred and I fear that Giavotella has missed the small opportunity that the Royals actually granted him.

The Future of Second Base

When the Royals selected Christian Colon with the fourth overall pick of the 2010 Amateur Draft, it looked as though they had filled the hole that was shortstop of the future. Several months later the Royals netted Alcides Escobar in the Zack Greinke trade and it appeared that Colon would eventually shift to second and the Royals infield would be set.

But then Colon struggled. In his first full season of professional baseball he hit just .257/.325/.342 in the hitter's paradise known as Arvest Ballpark. Meanwhile, fellow second base prospect Johnny Giavotella was doing his best to ensure that he would not be overlooked. One year after hitting .322/.395/.460, Giavotella blistered the Pacific Coast League by hitting .338/.390/.481. Entering 2012, it appeared that the Royals second baseman of the future wasn't Colon, but instead Giavotella, at least in the short term.

However, Giavotella played poorly in Spring Training, and while his counterpart Chris Getz didn't play much better he did enough to win the job. Giavotella responded by getting off to a slow start in Omaha, and then eventually heating up and raising his line to .331/.408/.504.

Down in Northwest Arkansas, Colon has also been doing his best to raise his stock. So far in 2012, Colon is hitting .311/.383/.449. Many believe Colon is finally getting his feet under him in professional baseball. Although, I should note that his 2012 line drive percentage of 14.6% is lower than his 2011 mark of 16.3%. With his 2012 success, it seems that Colon has re-positioned himself as Kansas City's long term answer.

As for the short term, the Royals have filled the position with a platoon of the aforementioned Giavotella and minor league warrior Irving Falu. Falu, who boasts a career minor league OPS of .694, is off to a fast start in Kansas City hitting .359.

Falu is an excellent story and it is hard to fault the Royals for playing the hot hand. I also think that Falu could wind up being a valuable asset as a cheap utility options for the next several seasons. Thanks to his defensive versatility, contact skills, and cost that's a valuable asset. However, I don't see why the Royals would call up Giavotella to platoon and pinch hit.

At this point, I get the vibe that Kansas City doesn't view Giavotella as a regular. Look at how the Royals have developed their prospects, the guys they view as long term staples of the ball club. They have repeatedly made it clear that you don't bring up prospects to bat sparingly. But yet all of the sudden they revert to the Justin Huber style of development for Johnny Giavotella? I have a hard time buying that.

I hope I'm wrong. The guy has already proven himself repeatedly in AAA. Maybe the organization doesn't see value in him playing everyday there anymore, but are you really giving him the best opportunity to succeed by giving him sparse at bats? Keep Irving Falu at utility, like I said he has value there.

Play Giavotella everyday. If you do so he'll have at least a season to establish some value. If Colon is knocking on the door, you have a good problem on your hands and have created a commodity. But don't treat Giavotella and Falu as placeholders, there's no benefit in that in the short or the long term.

Royals Call up Giavotella, Why?

So Giavotella is back in Kansas City. At first, I was thrilled to hear the news, but then on second thought it didn't make sense. Yes, Giavotella was killing it in Omaha. Yes, Giavotella should have been the starter at second from day 1. But with Getz performing why make the move now?

It just doesn't make sense. Are the Royals going to platoon Giavotella and Getz? If so, I'm not a fan. I don't think that is the ideal way to break a guy like Giavotella into the Majors. Don't get me wrong I don't believe in any way I am more knowledgeable at player development than the Royals front office. But I am left wondering what the benefit is for bringing Giavotella up right now. The timing is strange.

There's no way Giavotella is all of the sudden going to start over Chris Getz and at the moment I don't believe he should. At the risk of ostracizing myself from the Royals blogosphere, I think that Chris Getz deserves to hang on to the starting job at least a little longer. His strong start is very likely a small sample size error. However, he clearly did adjust his stance at the plate and in 2012 has posted a LD% of 33.9. Now I don't expect Getz to continue at that pace but if he can even come close to that his numbers are sustainable.

I'm a huge Johnny Giavotella fan, but if you were told the over/under for his 2012 OPS was .805, I think most of us would have taken the under. Well right now that's the OPS Chris Getz has posted. While I think Chris Getz's defense is a bit overrated it is pretty clear that he has superior range to Giavotella and that it is at least average. So if Getz can continue to hit as he has, and play the defense he has proven to be capable of, how good would Giavotella have to be to be more valuable? Is it realistic for Giavotella to hit that well?

I'm not suggesting that Getz has now found a power stroke and it is here to stay, but I'm merely saying at the moment it is clear the Royals won't be handing Giavotella the starting gig (as they shouldn't). So if the Royals aren't bringing Giavotella up to start, why is he in Kansas City?

This Just Isn't Working

I'm a huge Johnny Giavotella fan. However, when the Royals elected to option him to Triple-A this spring I understood the rationale of their decision. Entering camp Giavotella was in a competition with Chris Getz to win the second base job. At the time of the promotion, Chris Getz had outperformed Giavotella.

One tweeter commented that maybe Giavotella should already have been given the job. I can't disagree with this and had he already been given the job, like Moustakas, it would have made me outraged should the Royals have sent him down. Instead two players were competing for a spot, and Chris Getz performed better. I could understand why the team elected to open the season with Chris Getz at second. Unfortunately, one week into the season Chris Getz isn't our second baseman either.

We all hated the Yuniesky Betancourt acquisition. Even the defendants of the signing made comments like "well he's just a utility guy," and "he's only going to get 250 at bats." Let me tell you now, when your primary defense of an acquisition is the fact the guy won't play much, you shouldn't be defending the acquisition.

Robert Ford, whose opinion I respect very much, repeatedly defended the Betancourt acquisition and commented how much better he was at second base and how there was no way he would open the season as the regular second baseman. Seven games into the season, and Yuniesky Betancourt has started more games at second than any other Royal.

Granted, Betancourt is off to a nice start with the bat. He's hitting .357, but has already emphatically shown that he is in fact no better at short stop than he was at second base. Let me just be blunt, I believed that Betancourt would be solid defensively at second base. I was wrong. 


If Betancourt continues to hit .350, I'll put up with his defensive shortcomings. But if Betancourt settles back into his career averages, he'll be hurting this team twofold. When Chris Getz becomes your better option at second, you don't belong on the field. However, at least Getz could help the pitching staff with his glove. (Of course, the ideal solution would be to admit the mistake and recall Johnny Giavotella from Omaha.)

I still think Betancourt could still be a decent piece in the role the Royals allegedly signed him for. As a utility infielder he could back up every spot on the infield and provide some pop. However, as a starter we know what Betancourt brings to the table, do we really want to put ourselves through that again?

Getz Drives the Ball with Authority

"Getz is showing, at least in the early days of camp, an improved ability to drive the ball." -Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. You can read the full article here. 

I wonder if this is Dutton's opinion or the sentiment of the organization. Either way we are about a week into camp. Getz hasn't even taking a Spring Training at bat and is taking his swings in the Arizona air. My guess is that at age 28, Chris Getz hasn't developed a new found gap power stroke.

I continue to believe that while the organization bills Giavotella as the favorite for the starting second base job, the pressure is actually on him to win the position. If both players struggle, Getz opens the season as the second baseman. If Getz does drive some doubles in the Cactus League and hits as well as Giavotella, then Gio will open in Omaha.

Let's just hope that if Getz does knock the ball around a bit this Spring, the Royals don't forget the density of the Arizona air.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/27/3455700/giavotella-favored-over-getz-to.html#storylink=cpy

Yunasty Returns to KC

The Royals search for a back up infielder has been their most obvious pursuit this off season outside of acquiring starters for the rotation. The club was specific in looking for a right handed hitter that could back up third and short. You also have to believe that the guy that would be signed would provide both competition and an insurance policy at second base with Johnny Giavotella.

Naturally the Royals filled this void by signing Yuniesky Betancourt this afternoon. Betancourt will return to Kansas City just 366 days after the Royals dealt him to Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke trade. Just a couple of months after starting at short stop for a division champion baseball club, Betancourt appears to have accepted a bench role with the Kansas City Royals- we can only hope.

Of course my initial reaction along with everyone else that closely follows the Royals was one of psychological horror. Rationally I knew that there were surely pros to this acquisition and that getting worked up over a back up infielder was a little over the top. But let me ask you this Royals Nation: Do you think our initial reaction to the Betancourt acquisition was over the top? That's what I thought.

So finally I have reached a point where I can discuss how Betancourt is a good fit for your 2012 Kansas City Royals. Well first off he clears fits the profile that the Royals were looking for in their back up infielder. Right Handed? Yep, Betancourt is right handed. But why did the Royals target a righty? Well, because they wanted to find a guy that could occasionally spell Mike Moustakas against the tough lefty.

So Kansas City needed a hitter that could pound lefties. Naturally the Royals landed on on Betancourt who blistered lefties in 2011 to a .229/.241/.331/.576 line. To be fair Betancourt has been much better against lefties for his career and boasts .275/.308/.421/.729 line. Not terrible numbers there, but does that line really justify hitting Betancourt over Moustakas against a left hander? Not in my opinion. Not only would Betancourt be stealing at bats from Mous but based off of the numbers I expect Mous to be at least the hitter Betanourt is against lefties and likely even better.

So Kansas City needed a guy that could back up both short and third. Naturally they chose Betancourt that hasn't played an inning of third as professional. (Not to mention we already know he can't play shortstop.) It isn't ridiculous to suggest that Betancourt could be a decent fielder at second or third, but at this point we just don't know. For now though the Royals back up third baseman hasn't played an inning at the position since he became a professional.

Finally, the Royals needed to find and insurance policy should Johnny Giavotella fail. This it where it gets scary, because for all the assurance that Dayton Moore has given that Alcides Escobar will start 150+ games at short, there hasn't been much said on the subject of Johnny Giavotella. It's no secret that I'm a big Johnny G fan, but even I think it would be wise to have some quality competition should he falter. I'm just no sure Betancourt is quality competition. If you are a Johnny Giavotella fan like myself you better hope that Gio gets off to a fast start in 2012, or else the organization may be tempted to allow Betancourt's tools on the field on a regular basis.

Betancourt is without a doubt a better fit for the 25 man roster than Chris Getz, but that isn't saying much. There are positives to signing Betancourt, but I'm not sure there are any that wouldn't have been met had the Royals signed any of the other available crop of veteran infielders. Ultimately this is a frustrating move. Yes, it adds competition. Yes, it is only a back up infielder. Yes, Betancourt is a body that can reasonably back up several positions.

The Royals didn't hurt themselves with this move. But given the obviousness that a back up infielder would be signed, they didn't do themselves in favors either. I don't know the terms of the deal, so obviously that will affect my stance a little. For example if it is a minor league deal I would actually be a fan of the move. But if the Royals wind up paying more to Betancourt in 2012 than Edgar Renteria, or Orlando Cabrera wind up making I'll be disappointed.

Giavotella Undergoes Surgery

"I had arthroscopic surgery to repair a small tear in the labrum of my hip.. bothered me during the season so glad I made it to the offseason." -Johnny Giavotella

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that the surgery will keep Giavotella out of action for 10-12, but he should be back in plenty of time for Spring Training.

Personally, I don't think I am alone in having had no idea that Giavotella was playing through an injury during the closing weeks of the season. However, it could account for at least part of his late season struggles. After all hip injuries can play a critical role in affecting a player's swing. When the goal is as difficult to square up a round ball with a round bat, even small affects can cause enormous results.

Giavotella of course struggled at the plate for most of his time in Kansas City. I am not suggesting here that this was solely because of a hip injury, although adjusting to Major League pitchers is already an extremely difficult task even when the player is totally healthy, let alone when he is suffering from an ailing hip injury.

Truth is Giavotella probably just sealed Chris Getz' fate. Everyone knows how gritty a player has to be to play through pain. Jason Kendall would be proud of Giavotella's late season accomplishment. If Chris Getz' can't lay claim for being the gritty player what does he have left?

For those of us that have ever watched Giavotella over an extended amount of time, this doesn't come as a shock. For a guy that plays the game as hard as he does injuries are going to happen. Also, if there is a guy that is going to not only fight through an injury, but also make sure that the general public doesn't find out, it would be Giavotella.

The guy is an absolute gamer. I am sure he was well aware of the opportunity that presented itself this summer for him. I respect that he was unwilling to take a seat in order to fix an ailing injury. It goes without being said that Yost would have loved the opportunity to sit him more in favor of getting Getz a few more at bats.

I don't want to overemphasize or read to much into this injury, but when it comes to Giavotella it just reinforces my strong opinion of Giavotella's intangibles. Obviously I can't know how much of a factor it played into his success (or lack there of) at the big league level, but I do believe the second base job is as of now his to lose.

An Ominous Sign?

Last night the future became today for Royals fans. For eight and a half innings we were able to daydream about the future by witnessing the present. Johnny Giavotella hit a triple to the gap. Salvador Perez was dominating the Rays' running game. Felipe Paulino gave up just one run in 5 innings.

The telecast even asked the viewers which Royals player was going to win a Major award first: Salvador Perez, Johnny Giavotella, Mike Moustakas, or Eric Hosmer. (As if it was a given that all of these guys would develop into star caliber players.)

When Melky Cabrera hit a three run home run in the top of the ninth it was an awesome way to cap off the evening. Aaron Crow was then rushed in from the bullpen and we he took the mound he was surrounded by five other players that hadn't yet turned twenty-five.

But then the Royals collapsed. For a team that had for eight and a half innings had looked an awful lot like the fabled 2014 World Series Champion Royals, they looked an awful lot like the 2004, 100 loss Royals in the bottom of the 9th.

To start the inning Ned Yost rushed Aaron Crow to the mound for one reason: a statistic. Remember that mantra "You play to win the game." Well in baseball, Managers play to build up statistics. I don't want to get deep into my feelings on how the modern bullpen is operated, but when Soria was already warmed up and ready to go he should have been put into the game. It isn't as if he has been over used lately.

Instead when the Royals took the four run lead, Ned Yost frantically had to alter his plans because Soria had no place pitching in a non-save situation. So the route Yost took was to rush in a pitcher that hasn't had his best stuff since the All Star break. Sure we learned he was pitching through some ailments. But even if those have recovered, the stuff hasn't.

For a guy that has lacked crispness since the break, rushing in from the bullpen was a recipe for disaster. Two batters later Yost was pulling Crow from the game and calling for his closer. Soria by the way had already warmed up once, sat back down and then as quickly as Crow was forced to warm up for the 9th Soria was asked to rewarm up to relieve Crow.

A few hitters, some shoddy defense, a throw that bounced off a base runner, no one backing up third, and five runs later the Royals were exiting the field without the opportunity to shake hands in the middle of the diamond.

I was an extremely frustrating finale to an otherwise awesome night. It sure felt like 2004, and until this team can put together 9 quality innings on an everyday basis there will be other gmes when we are reminded of the past as well.

But for now we'll try to write this off as a growing pains, a common problem for young teams. Let's just hope we can get them out of our system fast, because I don't know if Royals fans can handle much more bad baseball when the light at the end of the tunnel is supposed to be blinding.

What are we waiting for?

Bob Dutton made some noise on the Royals blogosphere and twitterverse last night when he released a story stating that the "goal" of Dayton Moore and the front office was to get Johnny Giavotella 100-150 Major League at bats this season.

So what would it take for the Royals to meet that goal? Well there are twenty-five games in September and considering that Yost is planning on starting Giavotella everyday he could get close to the lower end of that goal should he be called up on September 1.

More likely though Giavotella will need to be called up in mid-August and handed the everyday duty the rest of the season in order to comfortably fall into that 100-150 at bat range. So my question is this: if you are already virtually naming him the starter for the last month or month and a half of the season why not bring him up now?

Perhaps, there are service time issues that the Royals can benefit from should they wait until mid-August? Well, unless the Royals wait until several weeks into the 2012 season Giavotella will be a free agent after the 2017 season. The same time as Moustakas, Hosmer, Duffy, and the bevy of relievers. Also, the Royals are way past the Super Two cutoff so that is no concern either. So obviously service time isn't the reason he is still in Omaha.

I guess maybe the Royals feel like he isn't quite Major League ready. That would be a great reason for Giavotella to still be in Omaha, except for it is obviously not true. In fact Giavotella has proven himself more in Omaha than any rookie on the Major League roster not named Eric Hosmer.

Gio currently is hitting .339/.391/.482 in Omaha and since the all star break his line has been .392/.427/.581. In the last two months he has posted an OPS over 1.000. No, it is pretty clear the bat is Major League ready. So that leaves just one reason why Giavotella isn't in the Majors.

Obviously Giavotella is blocked by a superior player. Wait... What? The player blocking Giavotella is Chris Getz? The guy that has set a record for Royals at bats without a home run? The guy that is hitting .259/.317/.288 for the season?

So obviously there is no good reason for Giavotella still being in Triple-A. My guess is that one more cold streak by Getz will result in a move. Obviously the Royals would like to try and flip Getz for something useful, but I can't see why a team would give anything up for him.

Getz does have options remaining, but he will be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter making him more expensive. (Although I can't imagine him making seven figures.) He could go back to Omaha and be a back up guy should Giavotella fail miserably or get hurt in 2012. This is the solution I would take with Getz. Control inventory and take advantage of depth.

The Royals have already made it clear that they want Giavotella to be the starter for at least the final month of the season. So why wait? I realize that if they bring him up now they will probably net him close to 200 Major League at bats. But seriously, since when is it bad to exceed a goal? Giavotella has warranted a promtoion and is ready to go. Give him the rest of the at bats as the starting second sacker for the rest of the season and he should be ready to hit the ground running in 2012.

Giavotella isn't the only player deserving of a Major League spot. There is also the issue for Lorenzo Cain. Considering the current shape of the roster I'd prefer to keep Cain in Omaha for the next month allowing him to play everyday. Once the Omaha season ends bring him up and do your best to rotate him in and out of the lineup.

Also deserving are David Lough and Clint Robinson are also on the 40 man roster. Both have also done plenty to warrant promotions in September. There won't be enough playing time to go around to truly benefit them from a skills development standpoint. But I'd like to see them both called up to give them a taste of the Big Leagues, while rewarding them for their hard work and quality performances over the past few seasons.

Salvador Perez and Kelvin Herrera also have gotten call ups to the Triple-A recently. Both are Rule 5 eligible this winter so, should an opportunity present itself, both should be given September call ups as well. This could give them each about five weeks of playing time in Omaha that would include a playoff run (hopefully). Plus a few weeks in the Majors allowing them an opportunity to experience what Major League life is like.

The Royals are the youngest team in the Majors. But don't think the youth movement is done. We can only hope that Moustakas and Hosmer were the initial outburst from a consistent pipeline of talent.